Recently, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell launched an effort to dismantle the EPA's proposal to set the first-ever limits on carbon pollution, by calling on states to refuse to submit plans to the EPA outlining how they would cut pollution.
The New York Times called McConnell's plea a "reckless call" that is "a travesty of responsible leadership."
The opinion that may be of greater interest to Republican leaders - especially Governors - is that majorities of republicans in four major coal-reliant states clearly do want their states to design their own plans to meet EPA carbon standards, according to bipartisan polling NRDC is releasing today.
The poll, conducted for NRDC by the bipartisan team of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) and Public Opinion Strategies (POS), surveyed about 400 registered voters in each of Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, via landline and cell phone.
The polling team found that clear majorities in each state support the Clean Power Plan: 58 percent of Ohioans, 60 percent of Pennsylvanians, 64 percent of Virginians and 66 percent of Illinoisans.
But more to the point, more than eight in 10 people in those states, with big majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, think that their states should craft plans to meet the EPA carbon limits.
Here are the detailed results, by state.
Illinois:
Eight in ten (83%) respondents support Illinois developing its own state plan to reduce carbon pollution and increase the use of clean energy and energy efficiency, after hearing that new federal rules will require Illinois to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 33 percent by 2030.
By party affiliation: Illinois Democrats (86%), Republicans (73%) and independents (78%) support developing a state-level plan.
Ohio:
Over eight in ten (84%) respondents support Ohio developing its own state plan to reduce carbon pollution and increase the use of clean energy and energy efficiency, after hearing that the new federal rules will require Ohio to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 28 percent by 2030.
By party affiliation: Ohio Democrats (88%), Republicans (87%) and independents (80%) support developing a state-level energy plan.
Pennsylvania:
Eight in ten respondents (82%) support Pennsylvania developing its own state plan to reduce carbon pollution and increase the use of clean energy and energy efficiency, after hearing that the new federal rules will require Pennsylvania to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030.
By party affiliation: Pennsylvania Democrats (89%), Republicans (77%) and independents (73%) support developing a state-level plan.
Virginia:
Eight in ten (83%) respondents support Virginia developing its own state plan to reduce carbon pollution and increase the use of clean energy and energy efficiency, after hearing that new federal rules will require Virginia to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 38 percent by 2030.
By party affiliation: Virginia Democrats (84%), Republicans (84%) and independents (80%) support developing a state-level plan.
See the poll memo for more.
So why is McConnell badgering the states to disregard 45 years of Clean Air Act law?
Observers have noted that Senator McConnell doesn't have the votes to stop the EPA from protecting our health from dangerous carbon pollution. Apparently, he is resorting to urging state leaders to do his dirty work for him. With $700 million in corporate contributions responsible for his leadership of the Senate, it looks like Senator McConnell will try anything to deliver their big polluter agenda.
We'll have to see what happens, but it would be surprising if many state leaders chose to side with a senator from another state rather than their own people. As we've noted, many states strongly support carbon limits on power plants (here and here), and efforts to use state legislatures to get in the way are falling apart (here and here). And millions of Americans, from many walks of life, support limiting dangerous carbon pollution. After all, even in coal-reliant states, it's clear that the public thinks that planning to cut carbon pollution and develop clean energy is a good idea.